At what point do you give up on an AWOL employee?
It’s all too easy for employers to assume that an employee who is absent, and is out of contact, has resigned, but they should be careful not to jump the gun.
A number of times I have been asked by an employer if it is ok go ahead and issue a P45 because they have had no contact with with an employee for some time.
My first question is generally, ‘What efforts have you made to contact them?’, because that’s fairly obvious, right?
Well, you would be surprised how many simply respond with a shrug of the shoulders and say, ‘None, we’re waiting for them to contact us’. An employer must do more than sit and wait, otherwise there is real potential for the situation to turn sour and result in an expensive employment tribunal claim.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Tim The Business Doctor to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.